Lionel Messi has announced that he will be staying at Barcelona for another season.
Despite publicly revealing that he wanted to leave the La Liga club, the 33-year-old has now insisted he will be remaining at the Nou Camp for the upcoming campaign.
Messi demanded to leave Barca at the end of August, activating a clause in his deal that he then believed would allow him to leave the club on a free transfer.
The six-time Ballon d’Or winner then refused to engage with any of the club’s medical tests or training sessions.
But now, the Argentina international has admitted defeat in his efforts to negotiate an exit.
Messi told Goal on Friday: “I told the club, including the president, that I wanted to go. I’ve been telling him that all year. I believed it was time to step aside.
“I believed that the club needed more young players, new players and I thought my time at Barcelona was over. I felt very sorry because I always said that I wanted to finish my career here.
“It was a very difficult year, I suffered a lot in training, in games and in the dressing room. Everything became very difficult for me and there came a time when I considered looking for new ambitions.
“It did not come because of the Champions League result against Bayern, no - I had been thinking about the decision for a long time.
“I told the president and, well, the president always said that at the end of the season I could decide if I wanted to go or if I wanted to stay and in the end, he did not keep his word.”
Messi's statement comes after Rio Ferdinand claimed on social media that Chelsea head coach Frank Lampard was eyeing an audacious move for the forward.
Chelsea have been linked with the 33-year-old but the Blues would have faced intense competition for his signature.
Manchester City were considered as strong favourites to sign the Argentine, with reports claiming that meetings were held with Messi's representatives.
But Ferdinand previously posted on Twitter that he believed former teammate Lampard was plotting a sensational move for the Barcelona legend.
The former Manchester United defender tweeted last month: "Just heard Frank Lampard is now in for #messi.
"Some window this if Lamps pulls this off!!"
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